According to Timothy Brewerton from the Medical University of South Carolina, ‘The issues of psychiatric comorbidity and trauma history are unavoidable for clinicians who diagnose and treat patients with eating disorders (EDs).^[1]Brewerton, Timothy. (2007). Eating Disorders, Trauma, and Comorbidity: Focus on PTSD. Eating disorders. 15. 285-304. 10.1080/10640260701454311.’ He also states that trauma is more commonly found to have been experienced by individuals presenting with bulimic eating disorders or eating disorders characterised by bulimic symptoms such as binge eating disorder. A study conducted in 2001 found that ‘women who reported sexual trauma were significantly more likely to exhibit abnormal eating behaviors than controls, including higher rates of both PTSD and EDs [Eating Disorders].^[2]ibid’ 

However more recent studies, such as the study by Karen Mitchell et al which looked at comorbidity among both men and women with eating disorders, found that many other types of interpersonal trauma can also lead to an eating disorder. In her study she reported that ‘the vast majority of women and men with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED) reported a history of interpersonal trauma.^[3]Mitchell KS, Mazzeo SE, Schlesinger MR, Brewerton TD, Smith BN. Comorbidity of partial and subthreshold PTSD among men and women with eating disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication … Continue reading’

There are many different forms of trauma that can lead to eating disorders, including but not limited to: physical and emotional neglect, physical and emotional abuse and bullying. Essentially any trauma that causes the sufferer to experience PTSD is a risk factor for eating disorders. ’The National Women’s Study reported a lifetime prevalence of PTSD in 36.9% of women with bulimia nervosa (BN), in 21.0% of women with binge eating disorder (BED), and 11.8% in women with no eating disorder.^[4]Dansky BS, Brewerton TD, Kilpatrick DG, O’Neil PM. The National Women’s Study: Relationship of victimization and posttraumatic stress disorder to bulimia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord. … Continue reading’

Understanding exactly why there is a link between trauma and eating disorders is still unclear. What we do understand about trauma is that it dysregulates the nervous system, which in turn makes it difficult for the trauma survivor to regulate their emotions alone. Therefore they may turn to food, or eating disorder behaviours in order to help self-soothe.

If you have a client, or know of someone who is struggling with an eating disorder of any kind, reach out to Khiron. We believe that we can stop the revolving door of treatment and misdiagnosis by providing effective residential and out-patient therapies for underlying psychological trauma. Allow us to help you find the path to effective, long lasting recovery. For information, call us today. UK: 020 3811 2575 (24 hours). USA: (866) 801 6184 (24 hours).

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Throughout this holiday season, keep the following tips in mind:

• Be sure to eat a healthy breakfast, potentially one that includes yogurt, fruit, and a granola bar so that your mind and body have the energy they need to keep you focused and alert
• Try to limit your caffeine intake as well as sugary drinks, as either of these can spark anxiety and increase risk of panic attack if you’re working on managing your anxiety
• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day – not only will this reduce your chances of experiencing fatigue, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, constipation and more, but it may also help you in eating moderate amounts of food
• At your family/friend gathering, try to grab some delicious foods that are good for you – vegetables, nuts, fish, fruits, whole grains and dishes prepared with unsaturated fat (such as with olive oil) are great options
• If you don’t already, be sure to start taking daily vitamins. These typically have a lot of the nutrients that your body needs to stay fully energized each day.

The American Heart Association also recommends planning when you’ll eat, eating only when you’re hungry, slowing down your eating sessions, and keeping a food diary are great ways to keep track of what you’re eating this holiday season and how it’s affecting your mental health. If you’re ready to kick your recovery into gear, speak with a professional from a reputable treatment center to learn more about options for your needs. It’s never too late!

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When someone who has survived trauma finds comfort, solace, or a way to cope in a substance or behavior, they become attached to that sense of safety and security. Food, for many people, is a source of comfort. After all, there is an entire category of food called “comfort food”. Chemically, eating food is incredibly satisfying. At the core, we need food for survival. Eating food literally feeds our deepest and most basic need as a human being. In more complex needs, foods fill us with desire, excitement, lust, desire, cravings, and even disgust. Food is a visceral, sensory experience which can overwhelm our senses. Trauma is also a visceral, sensory experience which can overwhelm our senses. When the experience of food overpowers the sometimes very painful experience of trauma, it can become a much-sought-after form of coping.

Having an uncontrollable obsession over eating and an irresistible compulsive urge to eat, despite any negative circumstances which might result are signs of a food addiction. Addictions build by repeating behaviors over and over again while more meaning is created through chemical dependency in the brain. The brain doesn’t necessarily become chemically dependent on food but on the release of pleasurable brain chemicals which happens when food is consumed. Eventually, the brain both literally and metaphorically sees food as a means of survival.

If someone has an addiction to a specific kind of food, they can experience symptoms of withdrawal when they aren’t feeding their addiction. Futurity recently reported on a study conducted by the University of Michigan in the US which found that quitting junk food can result in similar withdrawal symptoms as quitting an addiction to drugs or alcohol.

Quitting a food addiction is more than chemical withdrawal. There is an entire way of living which has to be recovered- life before food addiction and life before a trauma.

Trauma is most often the root cause of many emotional, behavioral, and mood disorders. Until you can heal your trauma, you will find great difficulty finding the healing you need to live a life of recovery, health, and wellness. At Khiron House, we provide effective residential treatment and cutting edge therapies which seek to transform mind, body, and spirit from the effects of trauma. Call us today for information. UK: 020 3811 2575 (24 hours) USA: (866) 801 6184 (24 hours).

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Much of what we see and learn has a deep impact on us and becomes ingrained into our subconscious, like body image. Our ideals about body image and our understanding of a relationship to the body comes from our parents or caretakers. We think our parents are something close to perfect when we are young. If Mommy is looking in the mirror and body-shaming herself, we take that seriously. What if what is wrong with Mommy’s body is wrong with our body? What if we need to feel the same way about our body that Mommy feels about her body? If Mommy cannot love her body, perhaps we cannot love our body either. We gain the insecurities, the criticisms, and the lessons body shaming has to offer when we observe someone we love engage in their own body image behaviors.

A contributor to Psychology Today reports on a new study which analyzed the impact of body image language and the effect on children, specifically a daughter. Body image language was narrowed down to what the researchers deemed “fat talk”. According to the author, the researchers defined “fat talk” as “verbalizations of self -deprecating evaluations of ones own body”. “Fat talk” might be a reinforcer of messages coming from the outside world which shames “fat” and emphasizes the ideal of thinness or being “skinny”. Poor body image has a widespread affect, which can result in eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and general low self-worth, which can lead to problematic behaviors in eating. The study did find that increased exposure to “fat talk” resulted in greater challenge for children to “eat mindfully or to appreciate their body either generally or in terms of how their body functions.”

Learning to be is part of the process of trauma recovery. Stop the cycle of merry-go-round treatment and find the solution you’re looking for in trauma treatment. Through effective residential treatment, Khiron House helps you find the path you need toward health and wellness in recovery. For information, call us today. UK: 020 3811 2575 (24 hours). USA: (866) 801 6184 (24 hours).

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Eating disorders are immensely complex mental illnesses which require equally complex treatment to resolve in a sustainable and successful way. Among the mental illnesses with the highest rates of fatality, eating disorders are one of the most important disorders to treat. Too often, eating disorders are treated at a surface level only without investigating the origins of trauma which contributed to a volatile relationship someone has with themselves.

Unlike a substance addiction, someone with an eating disorder cannot just give up their body or eating food entirely. Living in recovery from an eating disorder means finding an entirely new way of living in relationship to some of the most important parts of life. Immersing oneself back into the reality of food and body can be challenging, which is why eating disorder relapse rates are extremely high. By targeting and resolving the traumatic experiences which shape the narratives of eating disorders, individuals in recovery can find healing and transformation in their lives while stopping the revolving process of relapse.

Learning to be is part of the process of trauma recovery. Stop the cycle of merry-go-round treatment and find the solution you’re looking for in trauma treatment. Through effective residential treatment, Khiron House helps you find the path you need toward health and wellness in recovery. For information, call us today. UK: 020 3811 2575 (24 hours). USA: (866) 801 6184 (24 hours).

The post Why Is Eating Disorder Recovery So Complex? appeared first on Khiron Clinics.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal reported on a new trend in eating disorder treatment which is finding great success. Virtual reality offers those in recovery from eating disorder an opportunity to be immersed in stressful, triggering situations, with the safety and support of a clinical environment. Rather than complete treatment and therapy, then be pushed out of the nest into the real world, patients have the opportunity to test run everything they have learned. As well, they can work through their anxieties, traumas, and triggers, with the support of a therapist. Fast Company reports on a review which examined over 160 studies on the use of virtual reality for eating disorder treatment. Researchers found that virtual reality is a “promising” tool for treating eating disorders.

Why Clinical Immersion Works

One of the main reasons people relapse, in any number of mental health issues, is the fact that they are simply ill-equipped to handle all of life’s challenges. We say in recovery that we learn to “live life on life’s terms” by building resiliency and tools to cope with all of the ups as well as all of the downs. All of the learning in the world can take place within a treatment center or a therapist’s walls. However, the world is outside of those walls and real action is required in real time. Though treatment is completely transformational and educational, it simply is not the same as being immersed in a real world situation that looks and feels like reality. Once in reality, the fight or flight response kicks in, which leads most often to freezing, forgetting everything one has learned, then taking flight from the situation by returning to old behaviors.

Virtual reality helps by creating as realistic a scenario as possible which feels as real as possible and illicit all of the very real physiological as well as psychological responses. Experiencing their responses in real time, patients have the chance to work through them and discuss with their therapists. By the time their graduation from treatment takes place and they enter the “real world” outside, they have the confidence they need to face all of life’s challenges without relapse.

Learning to be is part of the process of trauma recovery. Stop the cycle of merry-go-round treatment and find the solution you’re looking for in trauma treatment. Through effective residential treatment, Khiron House helps you find the path you need toward health and wellness in recovery. For information, call us today. UK: 020 3811 2575 (24 hours). USA: (866) 801 6184 (24 hours).

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